Monthly Archives: August 2015

At Liberty Lutheran, our family changes many lives in meaningful and significant ways. But with such a vast array of services it can be difficult to be aware of all the gracious deeds, actions and kindnesses – big and small – that happen each day. So when an individual takes the time to write and tell us about the impact we’ve made on his/her life, it should be shared.

Such is the case with Jazmine Jones, a young mother-to-be who was feeling hopeless before she met Tamara Evans, a very special career coordinator who oversees the Lutheran Children and Family Service (LCFS) Youth Employment Program. This initiative organizes training, credentialing and job placement for under/unemployed youth who live in Montgomery County and have earned a high school diploma or GED.

Jazmine faced a frustrating and fruitless job search – all while the delivery date of her baby was fast approaching. With increased living expenses and motherhood just around the corner, Jazmine was anxious to find gainful employment. Then, thanks to assistance and guidance provided by Tamara, Jazmine’s situation took a turn for the better.

Graduation day.

An ordinary trip to the library turned into a life changing event when Jazmine spotted a flyer about LCFS’s Youth Employment Program. Figuring she had nothing to lose, she called for more information. What happened next? Here is Jazmine’s story, taken from a letter she sent us:

In June, I began my CNA [Certified Nursing Assistant] classes. The classes and training I received were magnificent. On July 17th I graduated from nursing training school and successfully received my certificate. Everyone in the program was so immensely proud of me and my accomplishments. Ms. Tamara never stopped helping me look for jobs and never stopped making sure I had whatever I needed to make my job search easier.

The graduating class.

The job I have now at Abington Hospital is Administration and Clerical for Housekeeping and Linen. It is honestly a dream job for me. I cannot thank Ms. Tamara Evans and everyone else enough for the amazing opportunities I have received and I am extremely grateful I walked into the library and picked up the flyer that day.

Jazmine Jones, proud Certified Nursing Assistant

What an incredible outcome! Many thanks Tamara—the support you provided to Jazmine is another shining example of Liberty’s powerful potential to transform people’s lives.

The Amazing Race walking challenge has returned to Liberty Lutheran Senior Communities for the third year. The mission of this challenge is to encourage our residents to maintain the highest level of their functional ability in order to help maintain their independence. We’ve put a new spin on our theme and instead of walking to specific locations, this year we are “walking through the decades”. The decades chosen are the 1920’s, 1930’s, 1940’s and 1950’s.

Here’s how the race works. Each resident is given a walking goal specific to their abilities. Goals are tracked throughout the week and scores are tallied. Community Life and Dining Services help incorporate the weekly theme by having activities centered on the decade and featuring a menu item every Friday that was popular during that time.We are midway through the race and the communities are cruising right along.

Paul’s Run kicked off their Amazing Race with a Miss Paul’s Run pageant as the Miss America pageant originated in 1921. The residents are all meeting their walking goals and the staff has been very encouraging and helpful with “flash walks”. “Flash walks” are spontaneous walking groups that staff engages the residents in throughout the day. Rachel Wieller, Resident Wellness Coach at Paul’s Run, is noticing an increase in treadmill usage and that residents are setting walking goals for themselves!

The Artman Home also kicked off their Amazing Race with a special event, a Great Gatsby themed party. The Atrium was converted into a speakeasy and residents participated in trivia about the cost of living in the 1920’s. Photos and fun facts from the decade are posted around the different households for residents to check out.

The Hearth at Drexel is in its first year of the Amazing Race and they have found that the distance from the West Household to the East Household is 100 yards! This is the perfect walking distance for their residents. Residents walk with staff and at the end of the path is large photo of a movie star from that decade. Residents try to guess who the movie star is and read the fun facts about them. The residents have also been having decade themed happy hours and recently were treated to Gin Rickeys!

So far, the race seems to be a huge success! Can’t wait to see what everyone has in store for the 40’s and 50’s.

Liberty at Home (LAH), a Medicare-certified home health agency that is part of the Liberty family of services, earned 4.5 stars in Home Health Compare, a new Medicare-published rating scale that awards from one to five stars based on quality of patient care.

The upper end of the scale, represented by four stars or above, indicates above average performance when measured against a set of best practices in five key areas: managing daily activities, managing pain and treating symptoms, treating wounds and preventing bed sores, preventing harm, and preventing unplanned hospital care.

Liberty at Home is one of only 27 agencies rated above average among the 132 Medicare-certified home health agencies in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties. Even more, when compared nationally, LAH exceeds the level of quality provided by 9,000 other Medicare-certified home health agencies across the United States, all of which received only average scores (3 or 3.5 stars).

The rating earned by Liberty at Home was derived from patient assessments conducted by LAH, as well as information culled from hospital and other provider claims. Overall, Liberty at Home beat the state and national averages in preventing repeated hospitalization of patients and earned perfect or nearly perfect ratings in a number of important quality measures:

How often the home health team treated heart failure

How often the home health team checked patients for the risk of developing bed sores

How often the home health team included treatments to prevent bed sores

How often the home health team checked patients for depression 100%

How often the home health team checked patients for pain

How often the home health team took doctor-ordered action to prevent bed sores

How often the home health team treated their patients’ pain

How often the home health team began their patients’ care in a timely manner

How often the home health team taught patients or their family caregivers about their drugs

The Pennsylvania Home Care Association commended LAH’s rating in a formal letter stating, “We at the Pennsylvania Home Care Association commend your ongoing commitment to providing excellent quality care. Your focus on outcomes and patient education, patient needs and open communication has earned your agency a spot in the top 10% of home health agencies in Pennsylvania. Through your hard work and attention to detail, you help keep our seniors at home and in the community and out of the hospital.”

Liberty at Home is a member of the Pennsylvania Home Care Association and accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Healthcare. The services it provides include nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech language therapy, and medical social services. For more information,visit libertyathome.org.

Liberty Lutheran’s Ambler-based community has opened a new short-term rehabilitation facility that elevates services and choice to whole new level. Referred to as a concierge-style model, the new facility features amenity-rich private rooms with deluxe private baths, flexible dining options in a restaurant-style setting, access to a therapeutic spa, and the security of after-hours physician care through the use of telemedicine technology and digital diagnostic equipment. Additionally, two rooms have been designed to accommodate individuals of excess weight, particularly those who are recuperating from bariatric surgery.

Inside the private room.

The new facility is distinctly separate from Artman’s long-term care accommodations “Unlike long-term residents, the emphasis for these individuals is on a daily routine of therapies. Therefore their expectation, the approach to care, as well the environment and amenities need to meet the needs and desires of a more independent senior,” said Janet Lorenzon, Artman’s Executive Director.

Checking out the kitchen area.

Janet explained the many hours of research that went into the development of the concierge rehabilitation model. She and other staff toured other similar models in Illinois, Minnesota, North Carolina, New York, Maryland and central Pennsylvania to assimilate best practices and apply them to the model at Artman.

As a result, the new rehabilitation facility represents not just a brand new physical space, but a paradigm shift in the approach to service as well. “Residents can awake whenever they like and have breakfast made to order. Our new kitchen has a built-in wine refrigerator so we can offer regular happy hours and we have a weekly Sunday brunch. Ultimately, food is available 24 hours each day,” said Janet.

Kitchen and dining area. Service is available 24-7.

Calming colors and fixtures were installed to help the healing process of residents. “We have outfitted each room with tailored bedspreads and pillows, coordinating window treatments, a 40-inch SMART television, and furniture that is as beautifully designed as it is functional,” said Shelley Daniels, who has spearheaded interior design for the new facility.